Friday, June 29, 2012

Bennett is 10 Months Old!

Our little Mr. B is already 10 whole months old. *Sniff* It's all so bittersweet. He is really coming into his own and with each passing month I feel like we see more of who he will become. It's a complete joy watching him develop and to witness the changes in him.

As per usual, it's really tough to get a shot of him with his trusty chalkboard. He's just not interested.

Bennett mastered crawling up on his hands and knees this month. He's also pulling himself up with ease onto EVERYTHING. Walls, the couch, his brother, you name it. In the past few days he's even stood for a few seconds without holding anything. He's so... brave. He just goes for what he wants with gusto. He doesn't think much before just giving it a shot. And, the great news, is that he's totally fine when he falls. No big deal, just try again. I love his tenacity.

He still slays me with his enormous grin. You cannot help but smile right back. This is his signature smile:

It keeps getting bigger and bigger and his eyes become almost closed and he tilts his head back so far that he's actually fallen backwards before. His toes curl up and he doesn't even know what to do with his hands. He's just so freaking happy. This happens simply because he spots you there. It's an incredible feeling really.

Ben's favorite things right now are nursing, Max and anything he's not supposed to have. He wants whatever Max has and likes to find hidden treasures on the ground (think rocks, lint, old cheerios...) to munch on. I finger sweep this kid like 10 times a day. He's getting really good at eating in his high chair and eats a wide variety of foods now. His favorites are blueberries and strawberries and mum mums.

Ben is very chatty. He will yell talk your ear off and frequently wakes his brother from naps with his screeching. He's SO happy almost all of the time, but come 5pm he's a nightmare. Clingy, whiny, cranky - straight up until bedtime. We like the babysitters to come right about 4:45 ;)

We've gotten into an awesome sleep routine. He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00pm and usually wakes around 1:30 and cries for a few minutes before putting himself back to sleep. Then he's up any time between 4 and 6 for a feeding before sleeping for another 2 hours. His waking time varies, but lately I've been able to push it until 7:00 am at least (finally!). He takes 2 naps a day, one morning and one right at the same time as his brother. I'm super happy that I've coordinated this so brilliantly. Just kidding, I just got lucky.

We don't know what he weighs, but he's worth his weight in gold, that's for sure!

What else can I say about Ben? He's seriously the sweetest and I think I fall a little more in love with him every day!